Due to the constant trade rumors that swirl around the NBA — I’m looking at you, J.R. — I’ve decided to help a few teams out. Below is a list of fantasy transactions all involving players rumored to be on the trading block this season. In a perfect world, at least my world, these trades would happen.

These five potential deals aren’t being rumored specifically, nor are they petitioned with any inside information. But if the teams and GMs involved were smart, they’d make these moves without a second look. Here are five deals I believe should go down before the trade deadline.

The Los Angeles Clippers have almost all the pieces to win the Western Conference. They have a championship-winning coach, the top point guard in the league in Chris Paul, good wing shooters in J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, as well as a former Sixth Man of the Year in Jamal Crawford. What the Clippers are missing is a dominant low-post scorer. Blake Griffin is not yet fully developed offensively and although his midrange game has improved this season, it is still not on the level of Kevin Love’s. Love is a double-double machine and would expand the Clippers offense beyond the “Lob City” era that has led to the Clippers being bounced out of the playoffs early the past two seasons.

The addition of Kevin Love would allow the Clippers to spread the floor and give Chris Paul more room to work with on the offensive end. Love and Paul would create a tough matchup for defenses to cover because of Love’s ability to shoot from long range. The pick-and-pop game would leave defenses in a bind, forcing them to hedge out on Paul, allowing Love to slip to the basket or step behind the line and knock down a three. Don’t hedge out on the pick and you allow Paul to drive and finish or drive and dish to L.A.’s outside shooters.

For Minnesota, this trade makes perfect sense. Kevin Love could opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of the 2015 season and there’s a chance he won’t return to Minnesota. Love is from Southern California and it would be shocking if he did not re-sign with the Clippers if they traded for him. This trade also allows the Timberwolves to still acquire a top talent and continue on rebuilding an improving basketball team. Griffin is locked into his contract for the next four years, allowing the Timberwolves to build around him. Ricky Rubio and Griffin could be a lethal tandem in a couple years as both are still developing parts of their game. Griffin is also much more marketable and has a bigger fan following because of his electric dunks to help out the organization.

The Clippers acquiring Love gives them a chance to win a championship this year. Blake Griffin gives the Timberwolves something to build around and turns the potential loss of Kevin Love into something valuable.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were both at the top of the NBA not too many years ago but have now shifted gears and are in rebuilding mode. The Celtics are looking to clean house and free cap space to build a whole new team under new coach Brad Stevens in the 2014-2015 season. The Lakers, on the other hand, are trying to rebuild quickly in order to get the right pieces around Kobe Bryant for one last championship run.

What the Lakers need is someone that can emerge and be the face of the franchise once Bryant is finished in two years. Rajon Rondo would be a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni and his pick-and-roll system. Last season, Bryant carried the burden of being the point guard in the system and fatigue was definitely an issue for the five-time NBA champion late in the season. Rondo would be able to play that part while distributing the ball to Bryant so that he can go back to focusing on scoring instead of trying to force passes to get teammates involved.

The Lakers would also have enough cap space to make a push for a solid player this offseason and if not, could make a serious push at Kevin Love in the summer of 2015. For the Celtics, the addition of Gasol is only temporary. The contract for Gasol expires at the end of the season, giving Boston even more cap space to go out and rebuild. Also the first-round draft pick could come in handy sooner rather than later, depending on what protection the Lakers would give it. The Celtics have the Nets’ first-round pick in 2014 and another draft pick will only increase the chances for the Celtics to get a high lottery pick. Who knows, maybe David Stern will work his magic in the NBA Draft lottery and give the Celtics a top-three pick for one of the star freshman to rebuild around?

Join The Discussion

cool so thats good for the bulls but how does that help the pelicans? and undersized PF with a so-so midrange game? no thanks

01.10.14 at 11:19 pm

north

Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose haven’t played an 82 game schedule combined in the last 3 years. How is this “good” for the Bulls?

01.10.14 at 5:10 pm

LMAO YOU MAD

All of these trades are retarded, why would Boston even think about trading their franchise player for a washed up forward that’s softer than a wet paper towel? Lakers are garbage and will be garbage for a long time, maybe if they build their team through the draft instead of making blockbuster trades every year, they would actually have cap space for players to even consider playing there

01.11.14 at 2:17 am

Jbeckz23

Everything sounds retarded to me except the Boston/Laker “fantasy” trade that should become reality. Let’s face it. Boston is totally rebuilding. What better way to show that you’re rebuilding by giving up Rondo/Bass for Pau Gasol, who’s contract actually expires the end of this season. This gives Lakers a chance to quickly rebuild for a possible championship with Kobe/Bass/Rondo with some valuable extra pieces. And Boston can look for a top lottery draft pick, not to mention Pau Gasol getting off of their books by the end of the season to give them more cap space. Gasol can even try to go back to the Lakers for less money this summer. Perfect sense.

01.12.14 at 8:33 am

NBA fan :)

Why else would you think lakers havnt won many games???

They are tanking to get a lottery pick. They have been looking at 2 players for a while now I don’t remember the names right now.

But I do agree with you about Gasol

01.10.14 at 5:54 pm

Jose

This guy should hang himself for even thinking such garbage.

01.10.14 at 7:04 pm

Yavor Pangelov

Why would anyone want to trade for Cousins? You think he will go to church every Sunday with Mark Jackson? C’mon man.

01.10.14 at 7:53 pm

Timothy Marshall Payne

This could be one of the worst articles I have ever read here. Clippers
aren’t a low post scorer away from a championship, they are another
perimeter creator away from a championship, and while Love is a great player (really great) he doesn’t ad much over Griffin to that team.

Lakers are barred from trading their 2014 1st round pick by league rules aka they cant do it.

The golden State trade is a downgrade in their shooting which is their biggest advantage for an immature cancer of a player. Besides losing Klay thompson hurts their perimeter depth. Also they would then have two centers.

Why would New Orleans want a slow post player who cant play defense or rebound in traffic, nor score with his back to the basket?

These are David Khan level bad

01.11.14 at 11:43 am

Andrew Mege

A. The Lakers can trade their first round pick if you knew the rules in the NBA. The steipan rule doesn’t apply now that it is no longer future pick so to start off your a retard.
B. if you read the article the Pelicans would be trading to amnesty Boozer at the end of the year clearing his cap space which they couldn’t do if they kept Eric Gordon and his contract.
C. If you read the article which now its evident you just read whats in bold, the writer says the Golden State trade is a stretch but that Klay Thompson is going to be signed away from GS anyway.
D. The Clippers want to get rid of Blake if you have followed the NBA the past 2 seasons and the trade would make perfect sense for both teams.

The article isn’t suppose to be about trades that are rumored are definitely gonna happen if you read. So yea you disagree but wouldn’t say the work is bad that sounds juvenile and elemntray

01.10.14 at 8:23 pm

Noknok Saraspi

with all the trades could be deal, the chicago bulls is the winner because they have now a big 3, with rose,love,granger

01.10.14 at 9:01 pm

WT Walters

These trades make no sense. I’m surprised Dime would publish such nonsense. I see why now I stopped buying this magazine and bought SLAM instead

01.11.14 at 12:39 am

cesar

wow this article is so fucked up that im dont even know what to say about….

01.11.14 at 3:42 am

2cents

I actually applaud Dime for taking a risk to make these suggestions. Some interesting ideas here, but like most of the comments, I see these moves as being lateral ones for most teams and no real improvements. One of the biggest problems with the NBA these days, is that there is too much player movement. Teams don’t have a chance to gel and get better. But then again, lets see what dumb moves the GMs make just before the trade deadline this year.